Civilization III: Conquests Pre-Release Chat with Firaxis & BreakAway Games
Edited Chat Log:
CHAT TOPIC: Civilization III: Conquests Chat
DATE: September 23rd, 2003 5PM EST
Many thanks to Jesse Smith (C3C Producer at Firaxis), Gobi (C3C Producer at BreakAway Games), Merepatra (BreakAway Games), Ed_Firaxis, BobT_BA (BreakAway Games), and Jeff Foley (Atari) for attending the chat and answering so many questions!
(Chat log edited by Pyrkaige and formatted by fitchn.)
Table of Contents:
- Civs, Civ-Specific Traits, Leaders
- Unique Units
- Units, Armies, Combat
- Cities, Improvements, & Wonders
- Terrain
- Multiplayer
- Diplomacy & Civil War
- Editor/Modding
- Conquests
- Governments, Scientific Leaders, Tourism
- AI, Gameplay, Interface
- Bugs, Technical & Release Info
- Misc.
<Chieftess> <arkammler> With the two new civ trait (sea and ari), you get redid all of the civ traits. What are they (for all)?
<Firaxis_Jesse> Our hope was to add something new to the game that would force players to change their perceptions and strategies - civ traits are an easy (though difficult to program) way of doing this
<Firaxis_Jesse> Agricultural and Seafaring seemed like they would be a good fit for accomplishing this while focusing on 2 important areas of the game
<Chieftess> <denyd> What will be the benefits for the Agriculture & Seafaring traits?
<Firaxis-Ed> Agricultural recieves a bonus food in its City square.
<Merepatra> and Agr gets extra food on irrigated desert
<Firaxis-Ed> Seafaring ships increase movement by 1
<Merepatra> agricultural also gets cheaper aqueducts, recycling plants and solar plants.
<Jeff_ATARI> Does seafaring always start near the coast as well? Didn't remember if that stayed in.
<Merepatra> And if the Agr city tile is next to water the despotism penalty doesn't apply to its food
<Merepatra> Searfaring locations is "usually" on the coast, but not always, a much increased chance
<Firaxis-Ed> Seafaring also get decreased sinking chance, and city built along the coast receives a commerce bonus in the center city square
<Firaxis-Ed> Also cheaper docks and harbors
<Firaxis_Jesse> cheap harbors... mmmmm 
<Thunderfall> <Inhalator> Does expansionist civs get some new abilities?
<Merepatra_BA> No expansionist traits haven't changed
<Firaxis-Ed> Inhalator- Not directly but since the ability to trade communications has been pushed back to the Middle Ages, expansionistic trait are able to explore more early and thereby trade with more people.
<Chieftess> <Asker> Are there any changes to the advantages that civs recieve from existing traits?
<Merepatra_BA> @Asker>Yes there was a change to slightly lower the industrial workers speed
<bobT-BA> we broke one of his toes
<Thunderfall> Louis XVI: What civs were considered, but never added
<Firaxis_Jesse> thats a long list!!
<Merepatra> we never really considered many other civs, the civs were chosen as they were needed for the Conquests
<Firaxis_Jesse> Austrians were developed but didn't make it in due to the 31 civ limit...
<Firaxis_Jesse> However, they are featured in some of the Conquests
<Merepatra> yes and the Austrian leaderheads and UU can easily be swapped in if anyone wants to
<Korossyl> Why no Hungarian civ?
<Merepatra_BA> because we didn't need a Hungarian civ for the Conquests... you could ask the same question about 100 civs, but we could only fit in 7
<Chieftess> <aaminion00> If you could add one more civ, who would it have likely been?
<bobT-BA> Austria as a full game Civ for me 
<Thunderfall> <Zenon_pt>: Why did you change 8 to 7 new civ's?
<bobT-BA> Only have room for 31 civs
<Merepatra_BA> Only 7 new civs could fit in the random game as there is a hard limit of 31 civs
<Merepatra_BA> there is an 8th "bonus" civ, Austria, that there is a leaderhead and UU for
<Thunderfall> cool.
<Thunderfall> looks like we have quiet a few Portuguese chatters here...
<Thunderfall> <raen> who will be the Portuguese leader? 
<Merepatra_BA> Prince Henry is the Portuguese leader
<Chieftess> <Xen> how did you come up with some UU's as opposed to others, like choosing the Dromon as the Byzantine UU as opposed to the more historically accurate Cataphract heavey cavalry men?
<Jeff_ATARI> Ahhh, Xen, knew that question would come sooner or later... /wink
<bobT-BA> Cataphract was discussed, but we do have several calv units in the game, and no real naval UUs
<Merepatra> The dromon is the favourite new UU of many of the beta testers
<Firaxis_Jesse> Xen: Balance of UU's and what fit best with the Conquests that were being created - just came down to what the designer wanted
<Chieftess> <Louis_XXIV> What improvements does the Dromon get?
<Merepatra_BA> <Louis_XXIV> What improvements does the Dromon get?... dromons are 2.1.3, cost of 30 and have lethal sea bombardment
<Merepatra_BA> and they have a really cool shooting fire graphic
<Chieftess> <BigFurryMonster> Q: Why do the Dutch have a Swiss UU ??
<Firaxis-Ed> Warpstorm- Honestly I don't know. That is up to the Bosses
<Gobi> The professional Swiss armies of the late Middle Ages dominated the European battlefield
<Gobi> Their rise coincides exactly with the rise of the Netherlands into a global power
<Gobi> The Dutch had limited manpower resources and recruited a higher percentage of Swiss Mercenaries than any other European power
<Gobi> Basically we had two new civs entering in that exact Age of Discovery time period.
<Gobi> We gave Portugal a naval UU and the Dutch a land unit
<Thunderfall> <Inhalator> What is Portugal's UU?
<Gobi> Carrack is Portugal's UU
<Thunderfall> <Zidane> What kind of stat boost will the Portugese UU have over normal Caravels?
<Merepatra_BA> <Zidane> What kind of stat boost will the Portugese UU have over normal Caravels? The Carracks stats are 2.2.3, cost of 40
<Firaxis-Ed> Zidane- Increased attack and the ability to not sink in sea
<Thunderfall> <raen> Does carracks apppear with mapmaking?
<Merepatra_BA> Carracks come with Astronomy
<Thunderfall> <raen> cool, thats rigth with history
<Chieftess> <arkammler> Could you, in a patch, add a 2nd UU for the civs?
<Gobi> There is no plan to add two UUs per nation in a patch
<Gobi> However, there is a wealth of new units in all of the Conquests
<Gobi> I'm sure a mod will cover that well.
<Gobi> For instance the Scandinavians NEED to have the new Longship as a UU in some mod
<Chieftess> <denyd> Are there any new units available for all Civs?
<Firaxis_Jesse> The curragh (scouting boat unit available with Alphabet) is a unit available to everyone - helps out a lot when your start is on an island or you are playing an Archi map
<Merepatra> Other new units include the TOW, flak cannon, trebuchet, Modern Paratrooper
<Chieftess> <Asker> Is that previously mentioned moile SAM another unit available to all civs or did you just add this ability to already existing units? (i.e. AEGIS cruiser)
<Merepatra_BA> Mobile SAM is a unit
<Chieftess> <Paalikles> will conquests put more emphasis on naval operations?
<Merepatra> yes to the naval operations
<bobT-BA> Conquests has an extensive naval scenario WW2 Pacific
<Firaxis_Jesse> Naval combat in Civ can be a lot of fun - we've certainly been looking to improve naval where-ever possible
<Jeff_ATARI> I agree with Jesse. I had loads of fun as the vikings in the Middle Ages, bringing terror to all the coastal cities of Northern Europe
<Jeff_ATARI> and that was just with "old boats" and longboats...
<Thunderfall> from LouLong: Can we have unit classes with bonuses/malus against other classes (ie anti-tank vs tanks) ?
<Merepatra> there aren't any bonuses against specific units implemented.
<Firaxis-Ed> Although there is now anti-air units
<Firaxis_Jesse> unit counters is a huge gameplay mechanic we are interested in for the future
<NuclearisWinterius> Just one more single wuestion and I´ll shut up , mere, but willwe be able to make specific units cause more damge to other specific units? (e.g. flamethrowers causing more damage toinfantry
<Merepatra_BA> No Nuclearis, that isn't possible
<Chieftess> <vingrjoe> Will ships (such as the aegis cruiser) and ground units be able to engage aircraft in battle. After all, the primary mission of the Aegis class cruisers IRL is anti air/anti missile defense.
<Firaxis_Jesse> flak and mobile SAMs to counter the increased strength of air
<Firaxis_Jesse> the AEGIS has anti-air
<Firaxis_Jesse> protect those carriers!!
<Firaxis-Ed> Aegis Cruiser now has the previouly mentioned Anti-Air ability
<Chieftess> <korn469> what changes have you made to the modern age?
<Firaxis-Ed> My favorite change to modern era is the addition of TOW Infantry . Allows for a defensive unit that can stand up to tanks, when you have no strategic rescourses.
<Gobi> One big change in Conquests is in the power of armies though
<Gobi> You'll find they pack quite a punch in Conquests
<Thunderfall> <gozpel>: Will we ever be able to unload/upgrade armies?
<Merepatra> armies aren't upgradeable, but they have had several big improvements
<Thunderfall> Can u be more specific, Mere>
<Merepatra> Re the specifics of army improvements, armies can now pillage without loss of movement point, they get an extra movement point, they have much better healing abilities...and I know there is something else I'm forgetting
<Merepatra> and the other army improvements are blitz and radar (thanks Chieftess and aaglo)
<Thunderfall> <Mr. Black>: You guys are awesome, but will navy ships lose movement, due to losing Hit Points, like in Civ II?
<Firaxis-Ed> Mr. Black- No
<Jeff_ATARI> @Black: pretty sure navy ships do not lose movement if they're hurt.
<bobT-BA> no loss of movement
<Thunderfall> <slothman>: Will the new King like units, the ones that keep getting stronger as techs progress, as well as ones on PTW be available in normal play? I want to have some unit that increases in strength without dealing with "you lose him and it's game over" at all.
<Firaxis-Ed> Currently only sengoku has a "King" that increases in power. But that is definately something a modder can add to core game variant scenario.
<Thunderfall> <korn469> In the Sengoku scenario does technology allow kings to upgrade to a new unit, or does discovering the technology directly increase the stats?
<Merepatra_BA> It allows you to upgrade
<bobT-BA> king stats increase
<bobT-BA> then upgrade
<Thunderfall> <Inhalator> Is there Varjag- Guard- unit in Middle- Ages scenario?
<Gobi> The Varangian guard, is that the question?
<Gobi> Very interesting one.
<Gobi> Let's just say that all civs in the Middle Ages scenario have a natural set of technologies.
<Gobi> Western Christian knights, Arab scholars, Viking berserkers all have their place
<Gobi> And we do have provisions for civs that draw from more than one culture (like the Kievan Rus with heavy influence from both Byzantine and Norse cultures)
<theGreyFox> <NuclearisWinterius> Has the role of bombardment been somewhat improved?
<bobT-BA> bombard has been improved.
<Thunderfall> Jesse, can you list all the new wonders in the game?
<Thunderfall> in the main game
<Firaxis_Jesse> Temple of Artemis, Statue of Zeus, Knight's Templar are three of the new Wonders
<Merepatra> Mausoleum of Mausollos is the other one
<Firaxis_Jesse> thanks for the spelling Mere
<Thunderfall> hehe... that's a tough wonder to spell.
<Merepatra> I've spelt it a lot, getting used to it
<Paalikles> 4Merepatra_BA: what are the benefits of the --core game-- wonders?
<Merepatra_BA> Statue of Zeus builds Ancient Cavalry (3.2.2), Knights Templar builds Crusaders (5.3.1), both every 5 turns
<Merepatra_BA> the other new Wonders are Temple of Artemis, temple in every city on continent, and Mausoleum of Mausollos - 3 unhappy Citizens content in its city
<player1> What's the shields price of Ancien Cavalry and Crusaders?
<Merepatra_BA> Ancient Cav and Crusaders can't be built except by the wonders so don't have a shield cost really, though the are 40 and 70 if you disband them
<Chieftess> <arkammler> What is the city limit and map size in c3c?
<Merepatra> map size and city limits haven't been changed from PTW
<Chieftess> <korn469> this question is for jeff, he mentioned on the forums asking him about what they had done to change the corruption in communism
<Jeff_ATARI> ah yes, I was alluding to the Secret HQ, or whatever it's called... help me out here, fellahs...
<Jeff_ATARI> giving you the equivalent of a second forbidden palace, but only if you're in Communism
<Merepatra> Secret Police Headquarters is the new Communism Small Wonders name Jeff
<Firaxis-Ed> The Secret Police HQ allows Communism to be the favored government for a larger nation
<Jeff_ATARI> Ed to the rescue...
<Firaxis_Jesse> much larger nation
* Jeff_ATARI bows humbly to Ed's superior knowledge....
* Jeff_ATARI hasn't tried out the Secret Police HQ yet in any of his current games...
<Firaxis_Jesse> or use police to lower it
<Firaxis-Ed> <-- getting an inflated ego
<Jeff_ATARI> yeah, the police do a fine job...
<Chieftess> <Carver> what does the new satellite wonder reveal, the map or troop locations?
<Merepatra> the map
<korn469> Merepatra are police and civil engineers available from the begining of the game and do civil engineers simply add shields?
<Merepatra_BA> Police come with Nationalism, Civil Engineers with Replaceable parts
<Thunderfall> <Inhalator> Are there new improvements in the main game?
<Thunderfall> Ed, I think Inhalator mean city improvements.
<Gobi> The main game has seen extensive rework throughout all of the ages.
<Gobi> We tried to add new elements in all periods of history, without compromising the units, wonders, and improvements everyone has come to depend on
<Thunderfall> <Inhalator> What i meant: Are there new BUILDINGS in the "normal game"?
<Merepatra_BA> No there are no new improvements in the random game, lots of them in the Conquests
<Thunderfall> <Packer-Backer>: Will craters permadently remove resources in the core game or just the Conquests and if so, do volcanoes remove resources?
<Thunderfall> How often do Volcanos erupt?
<bobT-BA> Volcanoes are random
<bobT-BA> They may also be adjusted in the editor for custom mods
<Jeff_ATARI> I seem to remember you getting a little bit of warning before eruption, right?
<bobT-BA> There is usually a tweo turn warning
<Merepatra> Craters don't permanently remove resources, the damage from them can be cleared, as can damage from volcanos
<Thunderfall> ok... would be nice if you could make it possible t change the rate of eruption in the editor though...
<bobT-BA> but it can be immediate
<Merepatra> Of course if the volcano happens to erupt on your city the city is destroyed
<bobT-BA> Thunderfall· ok... would be nice if you could make it possible t change the rate of eruption in the editor though... Yes they can be adjusted
<Jeff_ATARI> kablooey!
<Firaxis_Jesse> 3 shields is worth the risk though
<Firaxis-Ed> Building on the tile next to the volcano is not recomended. But 2 tiles away allow you to reap the production bonus of the volcano with less risk.
<theGreyFox> but the city can still be destroyed two tiles away from the volcano?
<Merepatra> <theGreyFox> but the city can still be destroyed two tiles away from the volcano? Yes up to 2 tiles away you are at risk
<Chieftess> <Louis XXIV> Are there new terrains added to the main game/Can we add them?
<bobT-BA> marsh and volcanoes
<Chieftess> <Wittlich> (Wittlich) In a multiplayer game will the science research screen automatically pop-up like in the single-player game, or will it remain the same as PTW?
<Merepatra> the science popup in MP stays as it was in PTW
<Chieftess> <Paalikles> possible to play conquests scenarios as MP?
<bobT-BA> yes for MP
<Chieftess> <dojoboy> Will locked rivals be a feature in the random civ game or just in the scenarios?
<bobT-BA> Locked alliances are scenario based
<NuclearisWinterius> Merepatra, anything you guys can tell me about the changes mad ein diplomacy? pleease?
<Merepatra_BA> there are no major changes to diplomacy except the locked alliances
<Thunderfall> <NuclearisWinterius> Will civil wars be implemented in C3C ? 
<Gobi> Civil wars aren't included directly
<Gobi> But we do have some new effects ... such as an increased chance of cultural conversion by a people whose capital has just fallen
<Chieftess> <Aussie_Lurker> Will it be possible to make units dependant on the presence of an improvement?
<Gobi> We didn't take the route of making units dependent on improvements per se.
<Gobi> There is just a slightly different tact we took to achieve the same edge
<Thunderfall> <korn469> what are some of the new options in the editor and can units cost more than one support?
<Firaxis-Ed> Korn- Unit support cost is can be adjusted. With new changes to repulic unit costs are actually now 2
<Firaxis-Ed> err republic
<Thunderfall> followup from Korn: <korn469> Ed no like can a tank cost 2 while an infantry costs 1?
<Firaxis-Ed> Korn- oh.. No
<theGreyFox> <NuclearisWinterius> What are the improvements in the game editor that make it a ´´robust´´ one that you guys can tell us right now?
<Gobi> The single biggest change to the editor...
<Gobi> ... was full-fledged support for Scenarios.
<Gobi> That means you can do things like control alliances, where the fog of war resides, whether or not embassies are already in place, and more.
<Merepatra_BA> I think the flavors in the editor are another really big improvement
<bobT-BA> the editor now will allow for some pretty amazing mods
<Chieftess> <korn469> can you tell us some of the new options you've added to the editor?
<bobT-BA> in the editor you may add locked alliances
<bobT-BA> locked war,
<bobT-BA> sorry got tied up on phone
<Merepatra_BA> The editor changes are a pretty long list
<bobT-BA> Yes, me editor changes list was cut off by phone call
<bobT-BA> there is a ton of changes that will enhance modding
<theGreyFox> how do you win the MiddleAge Conquest?
<Merepatra_BA> Middle Age Conquest is a Victory points win. There are many ways to get victory points in it
<Jeff_ATARI> Victory Points. Mostly attained by beating the snot out of other countries
<bobT-BA> hehe
<Jeff_ATARI> but for the Christian countries, capturing Jerusalem is a whopping amount of points
<Merepatra_BA> Or if you are a Christain civ you can return a holy relic to Jeruseleum to get points
<bobT-BA> Or getting the big bonus by being nice to other countries as you trek across the map
<Merepatra_BA> 10000 points for England to return the Holy Grail
<Jeff_ATARI> The English and Celts fell to my Danes by midgame
<Chieftess> <Louis_XXIV> What are the Firaxian's favorite of the new civs
<Merepatra> Mine is probably the Maya, I just love to enslave.
<Jeff_ATARI> I'm not a Firaxian but I'll butt in... I just love the Middle Ages Conquest... it's so frickin' huge it feels like I'm in an MMO or something...
<Jeff_ATARI> there's stuff going on on the other side of the world, and I can't even be bothered, I'm too busy in my corner.
<Merepatra> Well I'm not a Firaxian either of course
<Jeff_ATARI> But it's because that stuff is happening on the other side of the world that I can afford to attack the big countries in the middle... I love it.
<bobT-BA> I really havent decided on my favorite new Civ
<theGreyFox> I guess you play the vikings Jeff
<Jeff_ATARI> GreyFox: indeed. I still need to try it from the other side, with the Crusaders trying to take Jerusalem.
<Jeff_ATARI> I haven't even touched some of the other Conquests yet...
<Jeff_ATARI> beyond playing the first 10-30 turns to get a feel for 'em
<bobT-BA> Crudsader taking Jeruselem is also a great game That is the approach I always take
<Jeff_ATARI> unga bunga, us Viking nations up in the north don't care... send your troops south, we'll raid you in the north.
<Thunderfall> <Inhalator> Is there a missionary- unit in Discovery- scenario?
<Firaxis-Ed> Inhalator-Yes
<Chieftess> <ROW548> how many new governments will there be in the core game?
<Firaxis-Ed> ROW- 2 Fascism and Feudalism
<theGreyFox> will Feudalism have communal corruption?
<Firaxis-Ed> Greyfox- No
<theGreyFox> <Korossyl> Can you tell us about the Great Scientific Leader people?
<Thunderfall> Good question.
<Gobi> Sure, we can share the basics on those
<Gobi> Scientific Leaders may arise when your civilization becomes the first to research a technology
<Gobi> Scientific civs are more likely to gain them
<Gobi> Like military leaders, they have two main uses.
<Thunderfall> they can't rush wonders right?
<Merepatra_BA> Scientific leaders can rush wonders
<bobT-BA> SGL can rush wonders.
<Thunderfall> ok
<Gobi> But we've done some rebalancing across the spectrum on leaders/armies/wonder creation and they play a key role there
<Gobi> The intent is to give a bonus to playing a peaceful, scientific game
<Gobi> Though the military route is still very attractive too
<Chieftess> <DrElmerJiggle> What's the second use of scientific great leaders (rushing wonders was the first)?
<bobT-BA> increases science research
<Firaxis-Ed> DrElmerJiggle- 25% Scientific Increase from all cities for 20 turns
<Chieftess> <korn469> can u explain how tourism works?
<Merepatra_BA> After 1000 years some Wonders start to produce an extra 2 commerce, it increases with time
<Merepatra_BA> Its only for Wonders that could be a Tourist attraction...for instance the Pyramids qualifies, but no tourists ever "visit" the Theory of Evolution
<Firaxis-Ed> Tourist Attrations increase commerce to the city, this commerce increases the longer the wonder is around.
<Chieftess> <Belial> Was there any significant changes to the AI and if so, what's the most noticable change?
<Gobi> One very significant change to the AI was an improved priority scheme for picking bombardment targets
<Gobi> They also now do a better job of escorting key naval transports like carriers and transports
<bobT-BA> many other AI improvements as well,
<theGreyFox> <NuclearisWinterius> Has there been any change aiming at rewarding the use of combined warfare/has the game been improoved in the more ´´tactical´´ level?
<Gobi> One big tactical change you will notice is increased power of modern air forces
<Gobi> They can be lethal now ... you won't be able to win many modern wars anymore with an army of only tanks
<Gobi> To combat that their are new anti-air units
<Thunderfall> not sure this is already answered or not: <Muchembled> Will there be an option to have excess food/shields/beakers carry over to the next turn ? If not, what do you think about cascading ?
<Merepatra_BA> No food/shields/beakers can't be carried over to the next turn
<Konquest> Will it be possible to see more than 8 civs on the F4 screen...?
<Merepatra_BA> no Konquest
<Chieftess> <raen> I dont know if this was already answered, will Edited civilizations enter in high scores in conquests
<Merepatra_BA> raen? Do you mean will the HoF show scores if the game is modded? No
<bobT-BA> no moded scores
<Thunderfall> <Warpstorm> Why won't modded games' scores be saved? Some players mainly play mods.
<Thunderfall> <Warpstorm> If you could pick one change that Conquests introduced that you think is the best thing for gameplay, what would it be?
<bobT-BA> warpstorm the changes made in the game make it really tough to pick my favorite
<bobT-BA> I like the new builder style option for players
<Chieftess> <dojoboy> For all the mac users, any indication this EXP may get ported over to the Mac?
<Jeff_ATARI> that's more a question for Destineer, who bought MacSoft from Atari. They make decisions as to which games they will port over to Mac.
<Thunderfall> I really hope they port it, just to be fair to the Mac players.
<Firaxis_Jesse> it really depends on the amount of support for the Mac version
<Chieftess> <anarchy> Are there any plans to include "fan made" items, such as terrain graphics with Conquerors?
<Jeff_ATARI> @anarchy... that is in fact what the presell CD is intended to offer.
<Thunderfall> I heard a rumor that snoopy is working on a new version of snoopy terrain for conquests...
<Thunderfall> from Sir Eric: Is the release date still fixed or will it be changed?
<Jeff_ATARI> @Sir Eric: nothing's ever guaranteed. You can always find a critical bug in the final day of QA testing.
<Jeff_ATARI> @Sir Eric: That said, we're very confident in the release date.
<Firaxis_Jesse> quality should over-rule schedules
<Firaxis_Jesse>
<Jeff_ATARI> Indeed.
<Thunderfall> Jesse, will all the language versions of C3C be released at the same time?
<Firaxis_Jesse> Thunderfall: All on 1 disc - UK too
<Thunderfall> That's great news, Jesse!
<Thunderfall> No more waiting for UK players!!!
<Jeff_ATARI> that is the plan, at least!
<Chieftess> <raen> when will the game appear in Portugal?
<Thunderfall> raen, Jesse said all versions are on the same CD.
<Merepatra_BA> when the game will appear in certain places is a question for Atari
<Chieftess> <kryszcztov> Will each local version be ***100%*** compatible with one another ?
<Firaxis_Jesse> they will have the same copy protection - which is a huge step in the right direction!
<Thunderfall> That's good Jesse. no more patch woes! 
<Jeff_ATARI> Yes, we'd like to prevent that patch confusion from ever happening again.
<Thunderfall> <smcsoon>: Can I install an Australian purchased Conquests on a UK purchased Civ3?
<Gobi> I think all of the English version of Conquests should be compatible with any previous English Civ 3
<Gobi> And PTW is thrown in along with any existing Civ3 and PTW patches
<kryszcztov> Merepatra : i own Civ3 & PTW in French ; can't play US modded games, and US non-modded games are in both english & french ; will this be fixed ?
<Merepatra_BA> I know they were working on making all versions more comptible kryszcztov but I don't know if it will solve your problems or not...I only have an english version, and of course it isn't a "final" version with all the installer things anything
<Muchembled> @Merepatra : about kryszcztov's question, it is mainly due to units folder naming : names should have been an identifier rather than the name itself (since the name changes with the language)
<Merepatra_BA> I think the naming issues is something the modding community among the testers was looking at
<Chieftess> <Polar> Will there be a bonus-CD also for the international version of C3C?
<Merepatra_BA> I believe that a bonus CD for all is something that Atari would like to happen, but negotiations are still taking place
<Firaxis-Ed> Polar- Currently I do not believe one is planned at this time, but Atari would be the "person" to answer that for sure
<Thunderfall> <Civrules> Is there a chance that if you *did not* pre order Conquests, you can still get the best of the net CD?
<Jeff_ATARI> @Civrules: Always a possibility, but not currently a plan.
<Jeff_ATARI> @Civrules: we made enough copies of the CD to handle the pre-sell forecasts. I'm hoping you all prove us wrong and force us to make more.
<theGreyFox> I havn't preordered yet, so make one more 
<Jeff_ATARI> @GreyFox: They just started shipping them to the retail stores themselves. Some have them, some don't. They should all have 'em by next week.
<Jeff_ATARI> If not, complain, so they know to get them. 
<Chieftess> <anarchy> I dont have PtW. Forgive me if this is a daft question, but does Conquerers include the Multiplayer options or will i ned PtW?
<Jeff_ATARI> @anarchy: Civ Conquests (not Conquerers!) will include the multiplayer options from PTW.
<Thunderfall> How many new soundtracks will C3C include?
<Jeff_ATARI> Ahhh, the music! My favorite.... I'm glad we put those on the pre-sell.
<Firaxis_Jesse> 11 new sound tracks were created
<Thunderfall> nice!
<Jeff_ATARI> I still have to burn a CD so I can stick it on in the car while heading to work...
<Merepatra> and I think the new music is wonderful
<Thunderfall> and I can't wait to see the opening movie...
<Jeff_ATARI> I especially like the sengoku music, and some of the middle ages stuff
<Thunderfall> I wish there is a victory movie for all the victory conditions.. The spaceship win movie is cool.
<Merepatra> There is a new movie for winning all the Conquests...and its cool too
<bobT-BA> the conquests victory movie is great
<Jeff_ATARI> yah, I like the new movie... a good blend of awesomeness with a dash of tongue-in-cheek cheesiness. It's perfect.
<bobT-BA> hehe
<bobT-BA> yep
<Thunderfall> Will C3C come in a 2 CD set? It doesn't sound like 1 CD can hold all the stuff....
<Jeff_ATARI> No we managed to squeeze it all on one CD.
<Jeff_ATARI> Not much room for fan-created stuff... hence the pre-sell CD so that we could make more of it available than if we had tried to squeeze it into the space remaining
<Chieftess> <korn469> when can the beta testers talk about the game?
<Merepatra_BA> the beta testers can't ever really talk about the beta version, they can just discuss the retail version when its released like everyone else
<Chieftess> <raen> Conquests includes PTW?
<bobT-BA> Yes it will
<bobT-BA> include PTW
<Thunderfall> Will C3C include some extras, like the dino units in PTW?
<Gobi> We don't really have extras per se ... just because there are so many unique art creations to populate nine different periods of history (the Conquests)
<Gobi> So we did a LOT of art ... we just were careful to find a home for it in one or more of the Conquests
<Thunderfall> cool Gobi. I do look forward to some easter eggs.
<Chieftess> <kryszcztov> Will a lot of exploits/bugs/cheats be removed ? Thinking about all that is prohibited at RBCiv for a reference. Ever been there ?
<Merepatra_BA> I haven't been there but a lot of exploits have been fixed
<Firaxis-Ed> kryszcztov- Ring build is fixed in Conquest
<bobT-BA> many exploits have been addressed
<Merepatra_BA> I think our beta testers called our attention to most exploits during testing
<bobT-BA> but as we find them others I am sure will hunt for some way of gaining an edge
<anarres> How is Ring City Placement bug fixed?
<anarres> we heard RCP was fixed
<DrA> how is RCP fixed specifically?
<Merepatra_BA> I can't tell you exactly how the RCP bug is fixed, as I didn't deal with that one. Chieftess might know more than me on that, she was fiddling with it I believe
<Chieftess> I don't know a lot about that either.
<anarres> RCP will be fixed by magic. No-one knows but somehow it will be gone...
<Merepatra_BA> It is gone
<Chieftess> <CivCube> How often has Sid checked the progress of this expansion?
<Firaxis_Jesse> Sid is an active part of all design that goes on here at Firaxis so he takes the time to let us know his thoughts on the project - the man is truly a genius. It's incredible seeing him in action
<Firaxis_Jesse> Soren and Jeff also take the time to point us in the right direction and offer solid design solutions
<Chieftess> <R8XFT> Have you the facility to speed time up so that Oct 28th is next week?
<bobT-BA> LOL
<Merepatra> I would rather slow down time
* bobT-BA agrees with Mere
<Jeff_ATARI> yah, slow down time, sounds good to me...
<Thunderfall> jeff, when is your next round of press tour?
<Jeff_ATARI> gawd, I hope we're done for a while. Just got back from Dallas where we spent some time showing Civ and other games to every single GameStop manager in the country.
<Jeff_ATARI> So walk up to your GameStop manager and ask him how Dallas was.
<Thunderfall> lol
<Firaxis_Jesse> glad to hear you get a little break
<Thunderfall> A new GameStop store opened a few blocks away from my house a couple months ago... talking about convenience
<Chieftess> <statusperfect> What can you tell us about the new combat system?
<Thunderfall> there is a new combat system? I don't know that...
<bobT-BA> Are we asking about locked Alliances, or Locked into war?
<Firaxis_Jesse> there was going to be - but the change didn't fix the RNG so it was pulled
<Jeff_ATARI> ah, right. I knew we had talked about it Jesse, but didn't know if it had made it through the testing.
<Jeff_ATARI> damn, should have printed out the manual so I could just look these answers up instead of trying to remember them...
<Thunderfall> hehe
<bobT-BA> Yes, I am not a walking manual either
<bobT-BA> Mere is though
<Jeff_ATARI> we'll just have to post the manual, look for it on www.yeahright.com
<Jeff_ATARI> or www.areyoukidding.com
<Thunderfall> well, you guys don't have to be 100% right in your answers.
<Merepatra> I'm the one who always remembers this stuff
* Jeff_ATARI realizes that if all the versions are a blur to him, they must be more so for the programmers...
<bobT-BA> to many versions Jeff
<Chieftess> <dojoboy> Can you go in a bit to how battle calculations are different in Cnquests? I thought I read a bit about this.
<Jeff_ATARI> ugh. Jesse, forgive me, I'm sorry I mentioned the battle calculations thing... the danger of leaking features before they're completely tested. 
<Thunderfall> <BigFurryMonster> Q to FIR: Will Firaxis/ATARI ever implement a Forum to create a community for Civ3/Conquest players?
<Jeff_ATARI> @BigFurry: Why, when this one does so well? 
<Thunderfall>
<Chieftess>
<Thunderfall> <BigFurryMonster> To FIR: Because you'll be in direct contact with your customers
<bobT-BA> we sneak around the forums
<Jeff_ATARI> @BigFurry: We have several Atari-created forums, usually linked from our game pages at www.atari.com. The civ3.com site is intended to be a central information point for players.
<Jeff_ATARI> It's just as easy to bop in and monitor some of the more populated fan sites as it is to try and run our own forum. At this point, forums such as CFC have grown organically and become so large that I'd rather see it continue to grow than try and siphon off members.
<Jeff_ATARI> I only wish I had gotten more involved with the sites earlier than I did.
<Firaxis_Jesse> seriously
<Firaxis_Jesse> can't express enough how incredible the fans and fan sites are
<Jeff_ATARI> Right now there is no Atari-sponsored forum for Civ. At least for the moment.
<Chieftess> <anarchy> Sid may have created the Civ series, but do you feel a tad jealous that he gets a lot of the attention despite you all doing the work?
<Firaxis_Jesse> Anarchy: Without Sid we wouldn't be here - so no jealousy isn't possible
<Chieftess> Only awe.
<Firaxis_Jesse> Exactly Chieftess!
<Thunderfall> How's Sid's Pirates! doing? Will it be published by Atari too?
<Firaxis_Jesse>
<Firaxis_Jesse> was waiting for that
<Jeff_ATARI> re:Pirates -- yes, it's coming along, and we're excited about it. You'll hear more about that down the road, but nothing to announce right now.
<Chieftess> <aaglo> Who makes the biggest bucks in this project?
<bobT-BA> hahaha
<Merepatra_BA> lol... aaglo, just know its not me
<Thunderfall>
<Thunderfall> Atari, maybe?
<bobT-BA> nor me Mere
<theGreyFox> Atari's taking the risks and the winnings ;p
<Chieftess> <UberKruX> does firaxis offer summer internships to compsci+psych sophpmores from out of state? 
<Chieftess> <aaglo> Would somebody be kind enough to hire me?
<Thunderfall> current job market is tough, huh?
<Firaxis-Ed> UberKruX- We do have interns, There should be information regarding this on the website.
<Firaxis-Ed> aaglo- Someone will I am sure
<Thunderfall> Where is Jeff when u need him?
<Thunderfall> <BigFurryMonster> Q: how many people have contributed to making of Conquests?
<bobT-BA> counting all testers several hundred
* end *
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